Gleanings — §630

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 630 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

مِكَ ٱلْمَكْنُوْنِ ٱلْمَخْزُوْنِ ٱلَّذِي يُنَادِي بِأَعْلَى ٱلْنِّدَاءِ فِي مَلَكُوْتِ ٱلْإِنْشَاءِ وَيَدْعُوا ٱلْكُلَّ إِلَى سِدْرَةِ ٱلْمُنْتَهَى وَٱلْمَقَامِ ٱلْأَقْصَى بِأَنْ تُنْزِلَ عَلَينَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِكَ مِنْ أَمْطَارِ سَحَابِ رَحْمَتِكَ لِيُطَهِّرَنَا عَنْ ذِكْرِ غَيْرِكَ وَيُقَرِّبَنَا إِلَى شَاطِئِ بَحْرِ فَضْلِكَ. أَيْ رَبِّ فَٱكْتُبْ لَنَا مِنْ قَلَمِكَ ٱلْأَعْلَى مَا يُبْقِي بِهِ أَرْوَاحُنَا فِي جَبَرُوْتِكَ وَأَسْمَائُنَا فِي مَلَكُوْتِكَ وَأَجْسَادُنَا فِي كَنَائِزِ حِفْظِكَ وَأَجْسَامُنَا فِي خَزَائِنِ عِصْمَتِكَ إِنَّك أَنْتَ ٱلْمُقْتَدِرُ عَلَى مَا كَانَ وَمَا يَكُوْنُ. لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ٱلْمُهَيمِنُ ٱلْقَيُّوْمُ. أَيْ رَبِّ تَرَى أَيَادِي ٱلرَّجَاءِ مُرْتَفِعَةً إِلَى سَمَاءِ جُوْدِكَ وَكرَمِكَ أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنْ لَا تُرْجِعَهَا إِلَّا بِكُنُوْز عَطَائِكَ وَإِحْسَانِكَ.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I pray Thee, O my Lord, by Thy hidden, Thy treasured Name, that calleth aloud in the kingdom of creation, and summoneth all peoples to the Tree beyond which there is no passing, the seat of transcendent glory, to rain down upon us, and upon Thy servants, the overflowing rain of Thy mercy, that it may cleanse us from the remembrance of all else but Thee, and draw us nigh unto the shores of the ocean of Thy grace. Ordain, O Lord, through Thy most exalted Pen, that which will immortalize our souls in the Realm of glory, will perpetuate our names in Thy Kingdom, and safeguard our lives in the treasuries of Thy protection and our bodies in the stronghold of Thy inviolable fastness. Powerful art Thou over all things, be they of the past or of the future. No God is there but Thee, the omnipotent Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Translation Notes

مِكَ

s-m-w → “Name”

literal: name

ٱلْمَكْنُوْنِ

k-n-n → “hidden”

literal: to do; to make; to perform

ٱلْمَخْزُوْنِ

kh-z-n → “treasured”

literal: to store, to treasure; storehouse, depository, treasury

ٱلَّذِي

l-dh-y → “that” Distinctive

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

يُنَادِي

n-d-y → “calleth aloud”

literal: call; voice; cry; summons; to call; to proclaim; to cry out; to summon

فِي

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

مَلَكُوْتِ

m-l-k → “kingdom”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

ٱلْإِنْشَاءِ

n-sh-ʾ → “creation”

literal: creation; bringing into existence; establishment; God willing; if God wishes; please God

وَيَدْعُوا

d-ʿ-w → “summoneth”

literal: call, invocation, summons; to call, invite, summon

ٱلْكُلَّ

k-l-l → “all peoples”

literal: for us; to us

إِلَى

ʾ-l-y → “to”

literal: except; but; if not; lo; now; at this time; save; only; unless

سِدْرَةِ

s-d-r → “Tree”

literal: lote-tree; divine tree

ٱلْمُنْتَهَى

n-h-y

literal: to grant, bestow favor; grace, bounty, kindness

وَٱلْمَقَامِ

q-w-m → “seat” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

ٱلْأَقْصَى

q-ṣ-w → “Supreme”

literal: farthest; furthest; utmost; most distant

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تُنْزِلَ

n-z-l

literal: to descend, to be revealed

عَلَينَا

ʿ-l-y → “upon us”

literal: exalted; highest; supreme; most high; upon you; on; over; Ali (name); upon

وَعَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “, and upon Thy” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

عِبَادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

مِنْ

m-n

literal: from; out of; than (preposition and particle)

أَمْطَارِ

m-ṭ-r → “rain”

literal: rain

سَحَابِ

s-ḥ-b

literal: cloud; clouds

رَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

لِيُطَهِّرَنَا

ṭ-h-r → “cleanse”

literal: purify; pure; purified

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

ذِكْرِ

dh-k-r → “remembrance” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

غَيْرِكَ

gh-y-r → “all else but Thee”

literal: without; besides; other than; except; other; different

وَيُقَرِّبَنَا

q-r-b → “draw us nigh”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

شَاطِئِ

sh-ṭ-ʾ → “shores”

literal: fitting; suitable; becoming

بَحْرِ

b-ḥ-r → “ocean”

literal: sea; ocean

فَضْلِكَ.

f-ḍ-l → “grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O”

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

فَٱكْتُبْ

k-t-b → “Book” Distinctive

literal: book; scripture; writing

لَنَا

l-n

literal: will not

قَلَمِكَ

q-l-m → “Pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

مَا

m-ʾ → “that”

literal: what; which; that which; relative pronoun; interrogative

يُبْقِي

b-q-y → “will immortalize” Distinctive

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal; permanence; duration; continuance

بِهِ

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

أَرْوَاحُنَا

r-w-ḥ → “souls”

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

جَبَرُوْتِكَ

j-b-r → “Realm of glory”

literal: compelled; forced; constrained

وَأَجْسَادُنَا

j-s-d → “bodies”

literal: body; corpse; physical form

كَنَائِزِ

k-n-z

literal: treasure; treasure-trove; hidden store; treasury

حِفْظِكَ

ḥ-f-ẓ → “protection”

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

وَأَجْسَامُنَا

j-s-m → “My body” Distinctive

literal: body; bodily; bodies (our)

عِصْمَتِكَ

ʿ-ṣ-m → “protection”

literal: immaculate; protected; infallible

إِنَّك

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

ٱلْمُقْتَدِرُ

q-d-r → “Powerful”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

كَانَ

k-w-n

literal: to do; to make; to perform; to be; was

لَا

l-ʾ → “No”

literal: no; not; negation particle

إِلَهَ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

literal: God; Allah; deity; Divinity; divine nature; godhood

إِلَّا

ʾ-kh-r → “but” Distinctive

literal: end; hereafter; other

ٱلْمُهَيمِنُ

h-m-n → “omnipotent Protector”

literal: the Protector; the Overseer; the Guardian; inspiration; revelation; intuition

تَرَى

r-ʾ-y

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

أَيَادِي

y-d-y

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers; to assist, to support, to aid, to strengthen

ٱلرَّجَاءِ

r-j-w

literal: hope; expectation

مُرْتَفِعَةً

r-f-ʿ

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

جُوْدِكَ

j-w-d

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

وَكرَمِكَ

k-r-m

literal: Carmel (Mount Carmel); vineyard, fruitful field; honor; generosity; nobility

أَسْأَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “pray Thee” Distinctive

literal: question; problem; issue; matter; asking; petition; request

تُرْجِعَهَا

r-j-ʿ

literal: return; returning; to return

عَطَائِكَ

ʿ-ṭ-w

literal: the letter Ṭá; refers to Ṭihrán (also spelled Ṭehran)

وَإِحْسَانِكَ.

ḥ-s-n

literal: goodness; beauty; excellence; good deed

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

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50 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

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The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

Kitáb-i-Íqán

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The principal doctrinal work of the Faith, revealed in Baghdad within the space of two days and two nights in response to questions from the Báb’s maternal uncle. Shoghi Effendi described it as occupying a position unequalled by any work except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — a model of Persian prose, at once original, chaste, vigorous, and remarkably lucid.

291 ¶

Prayers and Meditations

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Published in 1938, this companion volume to Gleanings contains 184 prayers and meditations selected by Shoghi Effendi from Bahá’u’lláh’s devotional writings revealed across successive exiles from Baghdad to ‘Akká. Shoghi Effendi described it as a volume whose perusal would deepen the spirit of devotion and faith.

858 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

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Revealed in Adrianople and addressed to a believer named Aḥmad, this Tablet has been invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance. Its central imagery draws on the metaphor of fire and water: “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones.”

17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

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Revealed during a visit to Mount Carmel, this Tablet addresses the mountain directly and prophesies its future as the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi designated it one of three foundational Charters. Its imagery of the Ark and the dwellers therein prefigures the Universal House of Justice.

5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

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Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words

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Seventy-one Arabic and eighty-two Persian aphorisms revealed around 1858 while walking along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Originally designated the “Hidden Book of Fáṭimih,” Shoghi Effendi described it as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances occupying a position of unsurpassed preeminence among the ethical writings of the Faith.

160 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶